Let No Man Put Asunder
by melliemellie
Summary: A companion piece to my other Twific, Not What It Seems, with the story being told from Carlisle Cullen's point of view. It's not a requirement to read the other fic in order to understand this one.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: **Hello, everyone! For those who are acquainted with Not What It Seems, welcome back. To those who haven't read my other Twific, howdy! This is basically going to be Not What It Seems from Carlisle's point of view, so, whilst it isn't really necessary to read the other story to understand what's happening in this one, it may help just to give you a fuller picture of events. I'm really hoping to remain true to the character Stephanie Meyer created, but am a bit nervous writing for a four hundred year old vampire. Fingers and toes crossed that I can do it just a little justice :)

Before I begin the chapter, I just need to shout out to Ivorygirl1990 for providing the title of this story.

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**Let No Man Put Asunder**

Chapter One

"How, exactly, did you manage to insert the pencil into your anus?"

A chorus of laughter was the reply I received, although it did not come from the patient. The teenage boy's two friends were either side of him, finding the entire situation quite hilarious. From the way the unfortunate patient thumped the arm of each, I could tell this was a prank gone horribly (or, should that be humiliatingly?) wrong. Luckily, the injury was not serious, but, the pencil needed to be removed as quickly as possible.

"Well," I began, grateful for the centuries of practice I'd had to perfect my poker face. "It is not life threatening and no lasting damage will be done. However, the sooner we remove it, the better. A nurse is on the way."

I could have performed the procedure myself, but, felt the boy had been humiliated more than enough by his own stupidity, so decided it would only be fair for one of the more attractive nurses to help him out. At least there would be a silver lining to his ordeal.

The moment nurse Berry arrived, I saw the patient immediately perk up, just as predicted. It may have been several centuries since my teenage years, but, I hadn't forgotten the power of male hormones. In fact, as their friend was led away, I could have sworn I actually caught a glimmer of envy in the expressions of the remaining two boys.

With the room now empty, I allowed the smile I had been holding back for the past few minutes to spread across my lips, along with a quiet chuckle, and marvelled at the fact that a pencil stuck in the backside was by no means the most bizarre injury I had ever treated. The things humans got up to.

Checking my watch, I noted that it was fast approaching my lunch hour and set about finishing off the notes of the "pencil" patient, before heading to the cafeteria. I would have quite happily skipped lunch and worked right through it, but deception dictated that it was necessary in order to maintain my human façade. It was one of the more challenging aspects of my false identity and each time resulted in a half-hourly retching session in the bathroom, but, in comparison to the benefits I received from living amongst humans, I considered it a small price to pay. Besides, over the course of my vampiric existence, I had managed to lessen the effects regular food had on my abnormal digestive system. Certain foods exacerbated the symptoms more than others, which resulted in me feigning a lactose and gluten allergy in order to ensure I didn't end up having to consume fatty foods, which were much harder to stomach than fruit and vegetables.

Striding through the halls towards the cafeteria, I crossed paths with one of the hospital's newest trainee doctors, Cassandra Phillips. It was her fifth week at Forks Community Hospital and, as usual, upon seeing me, she became a clumsy, blushing mess, her clipboard and pen clattering to the floor, as she tripped over her own two feet. Although my presence played a part in her ungainly display, I had quickly learnt that she was unfortunately cursed by nature to be physically incapable of supreme grace or poise. From what I had seen, however, the majority of her clumsiness was bred by an inherent lack of self-confidence. If she only believed in herself a little more, it would be possible for her to be one of the most desirable women in the building, a little fact Alice had remarked upon more than once. I honestly feared for Cassandra if my diminutive companion ever decided to take the poor woman under her wing.

I, however, had already done so, although it was unobtrusive and, hopefully, went unnoticed by most. As clumsy as Cassandra could sometimes be, and as dangerous a trait as that sounded for a doctor, there was no denying the drive and passion she had for her work, something I hadn't seen in quite some time. After seeing how hard she worked and how eager she was to learn, I took it upon myself to monitor her progress and ensure she had the support needed to reach her full potential. With any luck, her awkward episodes would start to become few and far between. Indeed, there had already been a slight improvement in the few short weeks I had got to know her.

I rushed forward to pick up the items, as she steadied herself against the nearest wall and her face flamed when I handed the clipboard and pen over with a small smile. She mumbled a thank you, before scurrying off in embarrassment and I watched her for a moment, before continuing my journey to the refectory to see what ingenious arrangement concocted from lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber awaited me this time.

My frankly depressing salad did not fail to disappoint in its mediocrity and it was lucky for me that I did not rely on the stuff to fuel my body for the rest of the day. Some of my colleagues often used it as a source of entertainment at lunchtimes, asking if I wouldn't rather just suffer through my allergies in order to get a decent meal at work and today was no different. Barb, one of the senior nurses, was the first to comment, as I took the seat opposite her.

"You must eat like a pig at home," she said, jabbing a fork in my direction. ""Because, I can see no other reason for why you haven't keeled over and died eating that crap."

"It gets me through the day," I replied, genially.

"And no one is more shocked about that than I am," she laughed, before shovelling a forkful of lasagne into her mouth. Barb very much fit the stereotype for a larger woman; big, brass, full of laughter and more outspoken than anyone else I had ever met. She was very much the heart and soul of the hospital and I did not think it an overstatement to say the building could well close down if she ever decided to leave.

Given my true nature, it was impossible for me to maintain any close friendships, but Barb was one of the few I had decided to pursue, purely for the enjoyment I felt in her company. Granted, we each had our own way of confronting things and I occasionally questioned her blunt attitude, but she was a good woman, the sort whose trust would never be in question.

"I still don't see why you won't let me bring in some decent food for you," she continued, eyeing me with mock disapproval.

"You have three growing boys at home, who need the food far more than I."

"Pfft," she screwed her face up in mock contempt. "You could feed them a herd of elephants and they'd still be hungry! A little less potato salad ain't gonna kill them."

"Well, as much as I appreciate the offer, I assure you that I am perfectly fine with this." I pointed to the salad on my plate, before gesturing to myself. "As you can see, I am still alive and still breathing, even after all these years."

"But, for how long? There's only so many ways you can arrange tomato slices on a bed of lettuce."

I laughed at her comment, before beginning to pick at my food. From the looks of things, Barb didn't have much of her meal left to go, so, I hoped I might not have to keep up the pretence of eating for very long that particular lunchtime. I had just placed a lettuce leaf into my mouth, when she started speaking again.

"Oh, hey, you hear the news?" she asked me, to which I raised my eyebrows, requesting an elaboration. "The Chief's daughter is back in town."

"You mean Charlie Swan?"

"What other chief do you know?"

"Well, there is a Native American tribe around these parts," I commented. "I assume they have a chief."

Barb wielded her fork like a weapon, as she berated me. "Don't make me slap that pretty face of yours," she threatened.

I laughed, before replying. "Alright, alright. No, I did not know Chief Swan's daughter was returning. In fact, I was not aware he even had a child."

"I keep forgetting you haven't been here that long," Barb said. "Her name's Isabella, beautiful name, if you ask me. She hasn't lived her for years; her mom jumped outta here the first chance she got, taking the little girl with her.

I detected a hint of censure in her tone, but made no comment, knowing it would not be my place to do so.

"I can still remember the little angel, though." A wistful expression fell upon her face, as she began her reminiscence. "Such a quiet, polite little thing, always hurting herself. Worse than Cassandra, that one. Damn near broke Charlie's heart when she left, even if she did return in the school holidays. I'm glad she's coming back, though. It'll do that old fart some good to have some company again."

"Does someone have a soft spot for our favourite chief of police?" I teased, leaning back in my chair.

"Almost as much as Samia has for you," she countered and I dipped my head in defeat.

Samia was a nurse at the hospital and one of the more…_persistent _chasers of my affections. I had nothing against the young woman, but there were only so many ways one could decline a date. It also did not help her case, knowing her attraction to me was purely physical. She was unable to see past the supernatural beauty my vampiric existence gave me, completely uninterested in any part of me she could not see. That was the perfect situation for anyone looking for nothing more than a one night stand, however, that most definitely was not me-a concept Samia chose either to disbelieve or completely ignore.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall behind me, Barb's eyes widened a little.

"Crap, I'd better get going," she declared, pushing her chair back, before rising to her feet. "Someone's gotta do some work around here." She winked, before walking away.

I returned her gesture with a smile and a wave, before spending a few moments in silence, staring at my almost-full plate. I quickly scanned the cafeteria. It was surprisingly quiet, with only a few of the tables occupied by either staff, patients of visitors. I could quite easily walk out without having to consume any more than the wilted lettuce leaf I had already forced down my throat, so that was exactly what I did. Technically, I had another forty minutes left of my lunch break, but I decided to head to my office and catch up with whatever paperwork needed to be done. I was half way there, when hurried footsteps pounded against the floor behind me, steadily growing louder, as they got nearer. I turned to see nurse Berry approaching.

"Doctor Cullen!" she called, sliding a little on the linoleum flooring, as she skidded to a halt before me. "There's been a collision. Three cars, five casualties. They're on their way in now."

I nodded and needed no further encouragement to follow her. The word fatality had not been used, which was as good a sign as we could hope for at this stage. I only prayed it stayed that way.

Reaching the ER, I saw nurses and other doctors rushing around to prepare for the incoming patients and lo and behold, one of them turned out to be the very person Barb and I had been discussing only minutes earlier. Charlie Swan was limping heavily towards a bed, assisted by nurse Berry and, as much as I wanted to head straight over to him, I knew I had to ensure there were no more urgent injuries to attend to, first.

In total, there were two bruised ribs, a fractured wrist, countless cuts and bruises and one case of whiplash. I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered not one person would suffer any lasting damage. I checked over the injuries of the lady with whiplash, first, whilst other doctors assessed the remaining patients. She was a middle aged woman, with short, dark hair and a slightly imperious and impatient expression on her face, as though she had far more important things to do than lounge around a hospital all day. I reserved judgement, never wishing to jump to conclusions before actually knowing a person's circumstances, whilst administering pain relief and checking for any other hidden damage there might be. The examination did not take long (although, it was clearly still far too long for her) and prescribed some strong painkillers for the aching and stiffness she would undoubtedly feel over the next week or so.

When she was dealt with, I checked to see the other three crash victims being treated by other doctors or nurses, before walking over to Chief Swan. Berry had made him comfortable and, when I approached, he sat himself up straighter, wincing with the effort.

"Alright, there, Chief?" I asked, with a smirk. I may not have known Charlie Swan all that well, but I had associated with people like him before and knew the best way to deal with them was to treat situations with humour. He was not a man who appreciated fuss.

"Peachy," he retorted, with a low groan.

"Where does it hurt?" I asked, getting straight down to business.

Charlie pressed against his upper right rib and I asked him to undo his jacket and shirt, before lying on the bed so that I could examine him better. I would have offered to help, but could also see how fiercely independent he was, so remained silent. Once he was in a comfortable position, I began checking his injury, pressing lightly on the spot he had mentioned, which elicited a sharp hiss from him. He brought the total up to three bruised ribs and I also suspected a second case of whiplash, although his was less severe than the previous patient's. Like the others, Charlie's injuries were nothing to be worried about and he would simply need pain killers and rest to return to his normal self once again.

Although I hated the idea of putting Charlie through more pain, I needed him to sit up once again, so that I could quickly check for any signs of concussion or trauma. Everything looked good to me, so I started filling in the details, allowing him a moment to do up the buttons on his shirt. Halfway through, the doors behind us opened and urgent footsteps alerted us to a newcomer, followed by a feminine cry of "Dad!"

"Bella," Charlie said. "What are you doing here?"

Although his tone clearly displayed his surprise at her arrival, there was no real anger behind the query. What annoyance there was in his demeanour seemed to be more directed towards himself, possibly for having had an accident to begin with, or, perhaps, for loading what he deemed to be unnecessary worry onto the young woman's shoulders. It did nothing to deter her, though and Isabella Swan continued asking after his wellbeing, as she came to stand beside the bed.

I continued scribbling my notes, as father and daughter started bickering and it was soon clear to see she had inherited the chief's quiet tenacity.

"No arguments!" she demanded. "As soon as you're done here, I'm taking you home and cooking some decent food."

I couldn't help the corner of my mouth lifting a little in mirth. I always enjoyed the moments of familial interaction I was often privy to in my line of work, as it reminded me of the reasons why I had decided to form my own. Although, technically, my small network was labelled as a coven, I always thought the term family fit much better, as that was how I had come to think of them. Over the decades, my companions had become as close to me as any blood relation, if not even closer, in some ways.

I could feel, rather than see the frown of disapproval crumpling Charlie's brow and decided it might be time to offer Isabella a little support, if only to ensure he really did look after himself.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," I agreed, finally finishing the last sentence on the form. "This shouldn't take much longer."

When I finally looked up, my sight was caught by the wide and incredulous brown eyes of a young woman in her early twenties. She was openly staring at me, her reaction typical of most humans when looking upon a vampire for the first time. She appeared to be unaware of her own gawping, as she took in every detail of my face and I returned the scrutiny, albeit in a far more subtle way.

Quickly studying her features, I could spot those she shared with her father: the dark hair, the elliptical eyes, the straight line of the nose and the unassuming disposition. But, there were also those in which she differed from Charlie. Her face was thinner and longer than his, her skin much paler and it seemed that smiling would come far more naturally to her than her discerning father.

As her gaze remained locked with mine, I noticed something else mingling with the expected admiration in her eyes. It took a moment to recognise, but I soon realised it was curiosity burning within her irises. Yes, she was _intrigued_ by me and not just because of the unusual beauty. It was a little alarming to begin with, being looked at in such a way. Normally, woman were only thinking about one thing when they looked at me for the first time, something that turned more than a few vampires into egotistical monstrosities, but I knew it was nothing more than a predatory illusion, given to us to help ensnare our intended prey more easily.

However, there was a deceptive perceptiveness that Isabella seemed to possess, whether she was aware of it or not. I felt a brief murmur of panic rush through me and, for the first time in a long time, I worried about the fact that I had never really bothered to conceal the true colour of my eyes. It had never seemed to be an issue before. I decided to break eye contact, before any alarming queries could mount in her mind and addressed Charlie.

"Well, Chief," I said. "You have slight whiplash and some bruising of your ribs, but there are no signs of concussion or trauma, so I think you'll be just fine. Some painkillers and rest and you'll be back on your feet in no time."

He seemed relieved at my words, although I knew he planned to disobey the order of resting. Hopefully, his daughter would be able to ensure he did not try to do too much too soon. Charlie thanked me, as he started shifting towards the edge of the bed and, with assistance from Isabella, managed to stand up.

I could have left the conversation at that and walked away, but something held me back. Although I knew I should not try to attract any more attention than was necessary, I was curious, myself, to see just how much the young woman had perceived about me. Of course, it was a truth universally acknowledged that vampires did not exist, but I could not help the feeling that, if anyone was going to suspect they might, Isabella Swan may well be one of the first.

"You must be Isabella," I commented, glancing at Charlie one last time, checking he was in no danger of falling over on the way home. "Your father was just saying you've come back here from Phoenix. I hope the change in pace won't be too drastic for you."

She may have been about to answer, but her father beat her to it and I wondered if his response was his way of getting his own back on his stubborn little girl.

"The quiet'll do her some good," he remarked. "But, with her track record, she'll probably end up in here before long."

I could not help but inwardly chuckle at the mortified glare she threw to her father. The affection between them was obvious, even if they both insisted on attempting to hide it. At least her eyes were no longer trained upon me.

"I sincerely hope not," I smiled. "Now, I have a prescription here for your pain killers and cannot stress enough how important it is that you rest. If you experience any problems, just come straight back here."

"Will do," Charlie replied, giving a small salute with his fore and middle finger. "No offence, but hopefully I won't be seeing you around."

"None taken," I laughed. "And I wish the very same to you, too." I returned my eyes to Isabella for a final time. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

With a slight bow of the head, I turned and walked away. As I reached the double doors and pushed them open, I could almost feel Isabella's eyes burning a hole into my back and it took all my willpower not to look over my shoulder at her in return.

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**A/N: **So, how was it? *peeks through her fingers* I know not a lot has happened in this chapter, but that's usually the way when starting a story (I hope). Now, I have every intention of updating this story as regularly as I possibly can, but it will still take a back seat against Not What It Seems, as that is the one I've been working on the longest and is getting to the crucial parts now.

Thanks for reading and, if you want, please leave a review to let me know your thoughts so far, even if it is only the beginning and I'll be back with the next chapter ASAP


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **Thanks so much for all the likes, favourites and reviews so far! I always love getting those alerts in my emails :)

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Chapter Two

"Alice, you are far too excitable this morning," I remarked, as my petite companion flitted about the home, getting herself ready for work.

"I'm not entirely sure that's possible, Carlisle," Jasper drawled at my side, watching his mate with equal amounts of affection and concern. After living with her for so long, the Texan was used to Alice's exuberance, but I knew there were times he appreciated a little peace and quiet in his life. Those moments were usually had when she was_ not _around. "She's found herself a little project, apparently," he continued. "And it doesn't involve the house or our wardrobes, so we should be thankful."

I joined in with his chuckles, but was curious as to what her "project" might be.

"I can't say," Jasper replied to my unspoken question. "She refuses to tell me anything until tonight."

I frowned, but nodded in acceptance. Far be it from me to interfere. So, instead, Jasper and I stood by the wall, watching as our dear little Tinkerbell flew from room to room, for whatever unknown purpose she had in mind. Eventually, she stopped before us, looking immaculate as ever and I did not miss the new glint in her large amber eyes.

"Well, I'm off," she stated, her handbag hanging from the crook of her left arm. "I'll see if Jerry has those books in for you today."

"Thank you, Alice," I said, before leaning down so that she could place a quick kiss on my cheek.

I walked away at that point, giving her and Jasper a moment alone to say their goodbyes. At times, they were like a couple on their honeymoon, basking in the novelty of new found love, yet they had been together decades longer than most marriages even lasted. It warmed me to witness such everlasting love and affection being shared between two people and hoped to never see the day that love ended. The world would lose something irreplaceable if it lost the union of Jasper Whitlock and Alice Brandon.

I heard the door slam shut, signalling Alice's departure and it never failed to amaze me how much noise someone so small could make. Although her vampiric nature meant she possessed the ability to move without making a single sound, she rarely used it in her everyday life. It would have appeared that she adopted it to add the deception that she was human, but she had been like that since the day I met her. She was such an odd little thing and I loved her unconditionally for it.

Looking up, the position of the hands on the wall clock informed me that it was time I readied myself for work too.

"Have you any plans for today?" I asked over my shoulder, as I double checked the contents of my bag.

"Hunting," Jasper replied, remaining in the spot he had occupied before Alice's departure.

"You are not meeting Alice for lunch today?" He did not always do so, but occasionally liked to spend some time in the afternoons with her during her shifts. Although I never pushed or commented, I did like him doing so, as it provided the exposure to humans he needed to increase his control over his thirst. Jasper was the newest to my way of life-not feeding from humans-and, despite having followed it for many decades, he still often struggled with the choice. His gift did little to help his toil. Being able to sense every little emotion a person felt meant he was so focused on controlling his own reactions to those emotions, that trying to also ignore the scent of the life force running through their veins was often too much to handle. He had improved greatly over the years and the past three years in Forks had done wonders for his restraint, but he always erred on the side of caution. I had every faith in him, though. I did not see it being much longer before he was as at ease amongst humans as Alice and I were.

Shrugging my long Belstaff coat onto my shoulders, I bid Jasper farewell, before heading down the stairs, for the door leading from the second lounge into the garage. As I climbed into the driver's side of my Mercedes, I wondered what surprises might await me at the hospital, although nothing had managed to beat the pencil episode. By the end of my shift, I was close to wishing I had never turned up for work.

**000**

"Helloooo!" chirped the infallibly cheerful voice, breaking me out of my reverie, as I sat alone, quietly in my study.

Today had been a particularly difficult shift. Two people had died under my care, after arriving from a horrendous road accident. The victims were two men, one middle aged, the other in his early twenties and the death that affected me the most was actually the older gentleman. It surprised even me, considering that the younger one had lived less than half the life of the other. The younger patient had a family for us to contact and several members had been stood around his bedside, as we did all we could to save him. It was a terrible loss of life at such a young age, but at least he had experienced love throughout.

The reason for my sadness was that, unfortunately, the same could not be said for the other patient. There was nobody for us to contact when he arrived. Nobody to hold his hand and tell him everything would be alright, even if the polar opposite was true. Nobody to miss him when he was gone. No spouse, partner, children or any kind of relative there for us to break the awful news to. I had done a little research on the victim, to discover if there was anyone at all out there for us to contact, but there truly was not a single soul for us to inform of his passing. He was apparently an orphan, raised in foster care, never married or had children. If he had friends, they would discover soon enough his fate, but I found it heartbreaking to think of someone so alone in such an hour of need.

Jasper often said that I could be too empathetic at times, that it held potential to affect my ability to do my job effectively, but I disagreed. I believed that it was my level of empathy that made me do all I could to help and care for those in need of my help. Rather than impede my work, I believed it aided it. The only problem was the depressing after effects such attachment to the patients resulted in.

"Carlisle?"

I heard Alice ascend the stairs and stop outside the study. I knew she could tell exactly where I was, but she called out in case I did not wish to be disturbed.

"Study," I replied. I was happy to be disturbed.

The door opened quietly and a small, pale face peered into the room. Alice flashed me a wide smile, before strolling towards my desk and perching on the edge, placing the large books she carried beside her.

"What happened?" she asked. I often wondered if Jasper's gift was somehow infectious, as she had an uncanny knack for judging a person's mood.

"Two people died," I answered. "Car crash."

She nodded, before sliding her hand towards me and wrapping her delicate fingers around mine. I looked up and offered a small smile in thanks.

"They seem to be becoming more common these days," she remarked quietly.

"Unfortunately, the climate in these parts can often catch visitors unawares," I explained, before the image of the middle aged man came into my mind. "And the locals often get complacent. Luckily, fatalities are not all that common, but it does mean that, when they do occur, they have a far larger impact."

The conversation was not helping my mood, so I decided to change the topic.

"How was your day?" I asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The action was done partly in thanks, but also to reassure her that I was alright.

"It was rather interesting, actually," Alice replied, making no comment about our previous topic, as she knew I preferred not to dwell on such things. She released my hand and slid off the desk, moving over to the couch and stretching her small frame along it.

"How so?"

"I think I may have made a new friend," she declared, her wide grin returning, as she gazed up at the ceiling.

Her reply definitely seized my interest and I wondered at the identity of this new acquaintance. Alice was an extremely sociable and outgoing person, yet securing friendships had never been an easy task for her. The sad truth was that, no matter how lovely a person you are, if you did not fit in, you tended to be outcast. Indeed, I had discovered the very same thing, although I was lucky enough to have a couple of people at the hospital that were not quite so insular with their attitudes. It was not to say that the people of Forks were narrow minded country bumpkins, but they were definitely cliquey and it tended to take some time to be fully integrated into the community.

I spent a moment guessing who she may have been referring to, but every possibility that came to mind was quickly dismissed. It was not a new colleague, as she had not mentioned any new members of staff being recruited in the dress shop. I doubted it would have been someone she met during an evening out, as all her time away from the house (excluding working) was spent with Jasper. When they were together, their attention tended to be so focused o each other, that most avoided them for fear of interrupting an extremely private moment.

So who could it have been? Just as the answer was about to reach my brain, Alice answered my unvoiced query.

"You've met Isabella Swan, haven't you?" she said, turning her head to look at me.

"Yes. She drove her father home after I treated him earlier this week."

"Yes, you did mention that." She looked up at the ceiling once again. "Well, today was her first day of work at Thunderbird and Whale and I got talking to her when I went to collect those books for you."

"I see." I supposed that this was the moment we would discover what kind of person the police chief's daughter was. Charlie had never been anything less than welcoming since the day the three of us arrived in Forks and refreshingly free of the typical small town attitude, but there was no guarantee his daughter would be the same. Having moved here from Phoenix, she was used to a rather large and diverse community, so there was definite hope.

"I think she was a little…_overwhelmed _by me at first," Alice chuckled. "But that's nothing new, is it, Carlisle?"

A smirk lifted the left corner of my mouth.

"But, she had no trouble telling me a little about herself whilst I was there. She actually applied for a job at the dress store the other day, you know. It's a shame we didn't have any positions available; she seems like someone I could happily work with."

"Tell me," I began, my mind working. "Is this anything to do with the "project" Jasper mentioned this morning?"

Her face swivelled, allowing her eyes to lock with mine. There was a mischievous gleam in her eye and she pursed her lips in an attempt to restrain the smile threatening to split her face in two. "Maybe," she answered reticently.

"Alice," I pushed, hoping she was not about to cause too much trouble.

"You worry far too much, Carlisle."

"But it is not you I worry about this time. I would not want Isabella running out of Forks after less than a fortnight of living here."

"Oh, she'll be fine!" Alice dismissed my concerns with a wave of her hand. "I foresee us becoming great friends."

"You do?" That meant she had received a vision. At first, I was excited by the idea of Alice finally acquiring a proper friend, as it was something I knew she desperately wanted. It also alarmed me, though, but I tried not to let it show too much. Isabella was a human and, although we did our very best to assimilate into human life, there was also a certain level of distance our ruse required in order to keep our true identities secret. If anyone got too close, they would soon discover that there was something a little off about us and my thoughts returned to my observations of the Swan girl back at the hospital. I remembered all too well the perceptiveness her young, unassuming demeanour belied.

"You're worried." Alice stated, sitting up and tucking her hands between her knees.

"A little," I admitted. "But I am sure you can guess why."

"Yeah, I know." A hint of disappointment crossed her features, but she recovered quickly. "I'm going to be careful, don't worry. You always seem to forget how easy it is for us to hide what we are, especially in this day and age. It's not the sixteen hundreds anymore."

I nodded, not saying anything. She had a point, but I could not remove the image of Isabella's inquisitive brown eyes fixed on mine. I trusted Alice, though and knew she would not do anything to jeopardise our position. As I had kept saying to myself when we first moved to Forks, there was no possibility for anyone to instantly assume we were vampires, as it had long been assumed that we were nothing more than creatures of myth.

"And it's not like I'm going to be arranging any sleepovers or anything," she quipped and I could not help but laugh at her remark.

"Just remember to exercise a little caution," I requested, as she started inching towards the door. "If only to keep this old fuddy-duddy happy."

Alice rolled her eyes at my archaic sobriquet. "Oh, Carlisle," she sighed dramatically. "If anything is going to give the game away, it'll be you. Just how many thirty-somethings do you suspect refer to themselves as "fuddy-duddies"?"

"I'm British," I counter.

"You can't use your nationality as an excuse for _everything_!"

"I beg to differ."

Alice did not respond, preferring to let the clicking shut of the study's door say her goodbyes for her. Well, her visit had achieved what I assumed to be her intention; my mood had definitely improved, but, as I listened to the barely audible tip tapping of her delicate steps retreat down the stairs, the concerns soon returned. Although my worry about secrecy still remained, other anxieties came to the forefront as well. It was not first time Alice had come home speaking of a new friend she may have made, but each previous time, it had ended badly. Either people used her for her wealth and generosity, or they simply decided she was just too weird for them. Granted, she could be handful at times, but she did not possess a single malicious bone in her tiny body and it was another example of people refusing to look beneath the surface. I sincerely hoped Isabella Swan did not let Alice down.

As my eyes roamed distractedly around my study, they happened to brush over the books resting on the desk, which had been acquired from Jerry. A plan began to form in my mind. At first, I wondered if it might be over stepping boundaries that had not yet even been established, or coming close to a form of mild stalking, but I quickly assuaged my own fears by assuring myself it was purely for the benefit of my close friend. I had borrowed the books from Jerry and he would need them back quite soon. Jerry happened to be Isabella's new boss. If I timed it right, I would be able to catch Alice's new friend whilst she was at work. It would provide a second opportunity to assess Isabella and do it properly, this time, as I now had a purpose to actually do so.

With that in mind, I picked up the borrowed book nearest me and opened it up, ready to lose myself within its pages.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry that this chapter is a little on the short side, but its main purpose is to set up for events to come. Now, don't worry, the Bellisle action will kick off soon, but I don't want to just rush into it if I can help it (although it's SERIOUSLY testing my own patience). I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and please let me know any thoughts you might have :)


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